DreamWorks taps Ringan Ledwidge to direct ‘Glimmer’

Time travel thriller is written by Carter Blanchard

With so many studios looking to land the next micro-budget hit, DreamWorks is getting in the game, naming Ringan Ledwidge to direct the sci-fi thriller “Glimmer.”

Mark Sourian and Adam Kolbrenner are producing from a script by Carter Blanchard.

Story follows a group of teens who discover a portal to the past. When one of them changes history, the effects start to snowball with tragic consequences.

Production is set to start in the first half of 2013. Jonathan Eirich is overseeing the project for DreamWorks.

In 2012, a few films with similar elements clicked at the B.O., including Fox’s “Chronicle” and Warner Bros.’ “Project X.”

Studios are jockeying to line up low-budget pics along these lines: Paramount and Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes are currently casting “Almanac,” while Warner Bros. is just finishing production on “The Hidden,” starring Alexander Skarsgard.

Before nailing down his first studio directing gig, Ledwidge worked at jobs ranging from shampoo bottle filler and gutter of animal carcasses to photojournalist.

More recently, he has been hailed as a top commercial spot helmer, with Campaign magazine naming him the best U.K. commercial director three years running. He is repped by UTA, United Agents and Anonymous Content.